Follow these Guidelines when Treating Rising Damps in the Home

One of the most detrimental things that can happen to your building is moisture accumulation. One of the common causes of misplaced moisture in the house is rising damps. The damps result from water rising up the wall through capillary action. This is a common problem in houses made of bricks and concrete blocks because they are porous. Rising damps present themselves in swollen and blistered paint, mould damage, rotten walls and flooring material, especially wooden ones among other signs. Rising damps are common in walls that were erected before the installation of a moisture barrier. Here are the guidelines to follow when getting rising damp repair.

Assess the Cause of Damage

First, you need to figure out what caused the rising damp on your walls. If the house was constructed without the non-porous damp proof course, the solution will be to install an impermeable membrane to stop the moisture from moving up by capillary action. If, on assessing the wall, you find that the damp proof course is intact, but the wall is still soaking up water, you need to assess the level of the soil which surrounds the wall. If it is higher than the DPC, it is possible that water is leaching upwards through the soil and onto the stone wall.

Eliminating other Causes of Dampness

It is common to see homeowners mistake other forms of water damage in the home for rising damp. For instance, if you have plumbing pipes inside the wall, and one starts leaking, the moisture can cause blistered paint and present similar signs to those of the rising damp. If you misdiagnose the cause of the problem, the leak will continue to wreak havoc on the wall.

Calling in a Professional

Signs of rising damp include blisters on the wall paint, peeling and swelling in parts. Additionally, the house could have a persistent musky odour which does not go away. The odour is usually the result of moisture causing mould growth and mould poring inside the home. If you have all these indicators of rising damp in your home, it is advisable to call in a professional to assess the house and determine if indeed that is your problem.

Resolving rising damp is a process which needs professional assistance from a construction contractor. Contact them as soon as you start suspecting you could be having the problem. They will assess and recommend the steps to follow in stopping further damage. 


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